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Gene Principe cut his hair and Edmonton Oilers players did a double take

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
|
May 6 2025, 8:45 pm
Gene Principe cut his hair and Edmonton Oilers players did a double take
@EdmontonOilers/x

Gene Principe will look quiteĀ different on television moving forward than what Edmonton Oilers fans have become accustomed to.

Principe, who is beloved by Oilers fans for his long-time work as the team’s in-game TV host, chose to let his hair grow out over the course of the 2024-25 season. While the master of puns is known for his long and curly hair, it had grown out even longer this season than fans had seen it in the past.

Oilers fans who believed Principe was keeping his hair in hopes of another lengthy playoff run, however, will be disappointed to learn that the 58-year-old chose to cut it off ahead of the team’s second-round series versus the Vegas Golden Knights.

“It’s all gone,” said a grinning Principe. “Breaking news. Breaking news, Sportsnet has it on the ticker.”

While the fresh cut comes as a surprise to fans, it caught many Oilers players off guard as well.

“Oh, Gene!” said a startled Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. “Nice, nice. Looking good. When did you do that? Awesome. Looks sharp.”

Though Nugent-Hopkins seemed to think highly of the new look, there are many who seem disappointed by it, albeit in a joking matter.

“Who gets their hair cut in the middle of the playoffs, crazy move,” another user chimed in on X.

This is just the latest storyline in these playoffs so far for Principe, who continued to be his fun and exuberant self throughout the Oilers’ first-round series versus the LA Kings. Prior to Game 6, he was somehow able to find his way into the Moss Pit for his pre-game intro.

With the Oilers series against the Golden Knights beginning tonight, fans should expect Principe to have plenty of jokes ready to go regarding his new — and somewhat unrecognizable — look.

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